The Right Fats

Optimizing health, one tool at a time

THE SLENDERNESS SERIES

The Mac Fats

A client asked me recently:

“Doc, I hear so many polarizing statements about fats. Are there fats that actually help us achieve our ideal weight?”

If that question has crossed your mind, even once, you’re exactly who I write for here.

Yes, there are fats that help you lose weight.

And the answer is far simpler than the internet would have you believe.

God-made fats help you lose weight.

Human-made fats quietly sabotage your health.

Fat Doesn’t Make You Fat

(But a Sixth-Grade Teacher Once Convinced Me It Did)

When I was in elementary school, the administration weighed every student once a year. I was an above-average athlete, so it was never an issue—until one day it was.

I stood on an old-fashioned doctor’s scale while a sixth-grade teacher—flat-top haircut, drill-sergeant demeanor—called out my weight.

“Mac weighs 110 pounds! Wow, you’re fat, Mac.”

There were gasps. A few chuckles.

And somewhere in that line was a girl I had a crush on—embarrassed for me.

I walked to recess with tears running down my face.

That moment changed how I saw my body. And like many kids (and adults), I immediately went on a diet.

In the 1960s, the message was clear: fat makes you fat.

So I cut fat. My mom swapped butter and lard for margarine and Crisco. Television commercials applauded the decision.

And guess what happened?

I stored fat.

“As estrogen dominance should really be called progesterone deficiency, a low-fat diet is simply a high-carbohydrate diet in disguise.”

High carbohydrates spike insulin.

Chronic insulin spikes lead to fat storage.

And stored fat makes estradiol in boys and girls.

I wasn’t just ashamed of being “fat.” I was ashamed of having boy-boobs.

That shame followed me into my thirties.

Insulin Resistance, Aging, and Why This Matters More Now

Fast-forward a few decades.

In the 1990s, I developed a menu for my diabetic patients. Years later, when my wife entered menopause—and my menopausal patients struggled despite “doing everything right”—I tried that old diabetic menu again.

Voilà. It worked.

Why?

Aging and hormonal decline increase insulin resistance. As we move through menopause and andropause, fat loss becomes harder—not because we’re weak, but because insulin sensitivity declines year by year.

The solution wasn’t eating less. It was keeping insulin bottomed out and glucagon topped out. And that’s when something else became clear:

Some fats accelerate fat loss.

Others quietly make you sicker.

God-Made Fats vs. Human-Made Fats

As I researched fats more deeply, I realized something important:

All fats are processed to some degree.

But how they’re processed makes all the difference.

God-Made Fats

These are produced by:

• Pressing or squeezing fruits

• Churning milk and letting fat rise naturally

No harsh chemicals.

Minimal or no heat.

No molecular damage.

When fats are extracted this way, they’re called virgin oils.

Virgin Oils

• Olive oil

• Avocado oil

• Coconut oil

If your goal is fat loss and long-term health, choose organic, cold-pressed, virgin oils.

Heat and chemicals denature fats—meaning their molecular structure is altered from its original, life-supporting state.

Saturated Fats: The Comeback Kid

Yes, I’m talking about butter and ghee.

We need saturated fats as we age. Period.

Saturated fats are essential for:

• Hormone production

• Healthy cell membranes

• Burning stored fat as fuel

• Improving insulin sensitivity

• Balancing age-related hormonal shifts

Butter—real butter—is simply churned cow’s milk. Grass-fed butter is lighter in color, richer in nutrients, and far superior in taste.

Always choose butter from grass-fed cows. No added colors. No “can’t believe it’s not butter.”

When I cook (which is rare), I use butter.

Ghee: Butter That Passed the Test of Time

Ghee is clarified butter—used for thousands of years and made the same way throughout history.

Butter is gently melted. Milk solids are removed. What remains is a stable, clean fat with minimal lactose. If you’re lactose intolerant, ghee is often the better choice.

Timeless foods tend to earn that status for a reason.

How to Use God-Made Fats

Here’s the simple framework I teach clients:

• High-heat cooking:
  Organic, cold-pressed coconut or avocado oil

• Medium-heat cooking:
  Grass-fed butter or ghee

• Raw:
  Olive oil—generously

Vicky and I hosted exchange students from France and Spain for years. That’s when I truly understood the Mediterranean diet.

Food, to them, was often just an excuse to pour olive oil over it.

I’ll never forget watching slender Mediterranean teenagers drizzle olive oil on pizza—and thinking, Well… that explains a lot.

Final Thought

If your goal is to lose weight, feel great, and live a long, energetic life:

Choose fats made by nature, not factories.

Fat didn’t make us unhealthy.

Fear did.

And it’s time we let that go—along with the weight that came with it.

Before You Go…

If you’re navigating midlife weight changes, hormones, or simply trying to make sense of what actually works after 50, this is what I write about here.

Each week I share:

• One practical tool

• One story that explains why it works

• One idea to help you feel better in your body—without extremes

👉 Subscribe if you want the next tool delivered to your inbox.

No diets. No dogma. Just clarity.

— Doc